WATCH: Tawanchai PK Saenchai climbs the mountaintop in stunning world title win over Petchmorakot Petchyindee in Singapore

Tawanchai PK Saenchai started his reign as the ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion by dethroning fellow Thai great and inaugural 155-pound Muay Thai king Petchmorakot Petchyindee in the main event of ONE 161 in September 2022.

The then-23-year-old entered the circle with a head full of confidence after posting three knockout victories in four fights to start his ONE tenure.

Contending with Petchmorakot's highly technical striking style should have given him fits. However, the PK Saenchai Muay Thai Gym affiliate's impressive fight IQ allowed him to find a way around it, enforce his will, and claim the gold via unanimous decision.

Rewatch the entirety of their five-round battle below, which ONE posted on YouTube:

Though Petchmorakot has held the featherweight Muay Thai crown for a longer time, Tawanchai has him beat in terms of successful defenses. The PK Saenchai Muay Thai Gym product currently has four, while the former king has three.

For his next bout, however, Tawanchai will compete for the ONE interim featherweight kickboxing world championship versus Masaaki Noiri at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang on March 23.

---

Fans favor Tawanchai to leave ONE 172 with interim kickboxing gold

With ONE 172 happening next month, the world's largest martial arts promotion decided to get the fans' perspective on the upcoming interim world title tilt between Tawanchai and Masaaki Noiri by holding a pick'em poll on their Instagram stories.

The promotion shared the result of their poll in an Instagram post, where a whopping 73 percent of fans believe that Tawanchai will emerge victorious at ONE 172.

There is reason for fans to have that much confidence in Tawanchai, especially after he produced a second-round TKO of Superbon in defense of the ONE featherweight Muay Thai gold.

ONE 172 will occur inside the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event is available via watch.onefc.com.